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Sweet
Finalist, James Beard Foundation Award, Baking & Dessert (2013)
Since 2003, Valerie Gordon has provided Angelenos with award-winning sweets and baked goods from her boutique in Silverlake and her booths at the Santa Monica and Hollywood farmers’ markets. With two restaurants opening in 2013 and this comprehensive cookbook filled with her beloved recipes, now even more people can eat and bake the Valerie way. Favorite desserts like petits fours, cakes, truffles, and cookies have been perfected with the addition of candied rose petals, atomized chocolate, fleur de sel, matcha tea, and other special ingredients. Valerie re-creates desserts from Los Angeles’s lost restaurants such as Chasen’s and the Brown Derby; she simplifies the process of making jam; she provides an accessible way to mix and match components so readers can design their own luscious cakes and pies. Filled with helpful tricks, recipes for a range of tastes, and gorgeous full-color photographs, Sweet is destined to become every baker’s favorite cookbook
Since 2003, Valerie Gordon has provided Angelenos with award-winning sweets and baked goods from her boutique in Silverlake and her booths at the Santa Monica and Hollywood farmers’ markets. With two restaurants opening in 2013 and this comprehensive cookbook filled with her beloved recipes, now even more people can eat and bake the Valerie way. Favorite desserts like petits fours, cakes, truffles, and cookies have been perfected with the addition of candied rose petals, atomized chocolate, fleur de sel, matcha tea, and other special ingredients. Valerie re-creates desserts from Los Angeles’s lost restaurants such as Chasen’s and the Brown Derby; she simplifies the process of making jam; she provides an accessible way to mix and match components so readers can design their own luscious cakes and pies. Filled with helpful tricks, recipes for a range of tastes, and gorgeous full-color photographs, Sweet is destined to become every baker’s favorite cookbook
544 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 8, 2013
26 people are currently reading
99 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
May 18, 2014
Vanilla Bean Cake, A+ (delicious, tastes like ice cream in cake form, some weird measurements, though, who has a 1/3 teaspoon? I subbed a vanilla bean for the vanilla bean paste, but this recipe is so good, I might spring for the paste.)
Golden Butter Cake, B (not quite as moist and flavorful as the vanilla bean cake; with fresh strawberries and whipped cream, amazing; with chocolate ganache, pretty good too; makes A LOT of cake)
Milk Chocolate Ganache, B+ (this is one of the filling options, but I used it as frosting, and substituted semi-sweet chocolate chips, really good, rich, and holds ups well)
Brown Derby Grapefruit Cake, C- (interesting. the first day, with the fresh grapefruit, was quite good, but after sitting in the fridge overnight the cake was dry and chewy and the frosting a little too sour. I won't make this again.)
Caramel Sauce, D (this failed, but I think it was my fault. She uses a "dry caramel" method that I haven't mastered. it turned out grainy and we didn't eat any of it!)
Overall: Still lots I want to try. Love the way this is organized and how you can mix and match the cake, filling, frosting recipes. And the Vanilla Bean Cake...worth the price of the book.
Golden Butter Cake, B (not quite as moist and flavorful as the vanilla bean cake; with fresh strawberries and whipped cream, amazing; with chocolate ganache, pretty good too; makes A LOT of cake)
Milk Chocolate Ganache, B+ (this is one of the filling options, but I used it as frosting, and substituted semi-sweet chocolate chips, really good, rich, and holds ups well)
Brown Derby Grapefruit Cake, C- (interesting. the first day, with the fresh grapefruit, was quite good, but after sitting in the fridge overnight the cake was dry and chewy and the frosting a little too sour. I won't make this again.)
Caramel Sauce, D (this failed, but I think it was my fault. She uses a "dry caramel" method that I haven't mastered. it turned out grainy and we didn't eat any of it!)
Overall: Still lots I want to try. Love the way this is organized and how you can mix and match the cake, filling, frosting recipes. And the Vanilla Bean Cake...worth the price of the book.
November 28, 2015
I wanted to love this book. It had everything a good baker could want. Weights instead of measures, lots of fillings, ganache and lots of flavor options to create your own outstanding cakes with. But, the recipes are all a disappointment. The cakes are dense and heavy, the other recipes are nothing special. After two years and trying out nearly ten recipes, the only one worth making again would be the vanilla cake. The pumpkin cheesecake was the final disappointment. I've made many over the years, and this is the only one I wouldn't bother with again...this even after roasting my own pie pumpkin for it. The crust and cheesecake were both dry. The beautiful pictures just aren't enough when the recipes don't deliver over and over again.
April 30, 2019
Very good book would recommend to my friends. Didn't get to read the whole book as yet .hence the 4star rating.
Very good book .have not read the entire book as yet hence the 4 star rating .but will definitely change when I read the entire book. Would definitely recommend it to others
Very good book .have not read the entire book as yet hence the 4 star rating .but will definitely change when I read the entire book. Would definitely recommend it to others
September 18, 2020
One of the best baking cookbooks I have seen. Not only do you get the recipes for Hollywood desserts of bygone days, but she starts off with a tutorial section that makes life simple. It features a list of every tool you need to make every recipe in the book. Also, there is a description of terms that seasoned bakers would know, but are unlikely to be known by the general public.
July 25, 2018
Lots of yummy recipes to make.
February 16, 2019
I'm not a beginner baker but some of this feels somewhat unaccessible to me.
January 10, 2024
Absolutely stunning photography!
May 28, 2013
This isn't my first dessert cookbook, but I am impressed by how many new and interesting things I saw in Sweet.
Just for a little background, I'm a big time food gawker. I've gotten moon-y eyed over lemongrass panna cotta, earl gray sables and mocha zabaglione. But there is something to be said for a simple, well made dessert using quality ingredients.
The picture on the cover, says it all, a yellow cake with chocolate frosting sounds absolutely perfect and looks just as tasty.
But for the exotic, there are several new and interesting things;
Black Mission, Fig, Pear and Port Jam
Durango Cookies - (durango refers to smoked salt, I had to look this up and unfortunately the durango smoked salt is not interchangeable with the alder smoke salt I have in the cupboard)
Eton Mess - (a delightfully named dessert of British origin, obv because of the name referencing Eton College, it consists of meringues, strawberries, raspberries and freshly whipped cream).
Single Malt Scotch Truffles -
Pumpkin Seed Toffee
Berry Mendiants - Mendiants are a french confection (didn't know that), there is no picture in the book (kinda annoying) but from the description it's melted chocolate topped with various fruits and nuts. Ms. Gordon has included berry, mint and matcha versions.
At about the halfway point of the book, there is a handy color picture of all the different types of cakes and the different kinds of fillings and frostings, also there is a section with pie crusts and fillings the idea being that you can mix and match the recipes in an infinite number of possible cakes.
Among these are some new fillings for pies are a few I'd never seen before;
Basil Cream and Mango Curd
For the cake and toppings;
Cassis Ganache - Cassis is a kind of french liqueur made of black currants.
Matcha Ganache - this actually sounds pretty awful, but I'm not a big fan of matcha, but for those of you who are, I bet this would be great.
Rose Petal Passion Fruit Ganache - Doesn't this sound fancy but yummy?
Fun frostings like mascarpone to put on top hazelnut cakes.
There are some interesting discussions of ingredients, like the one for corn syrup and another for Durango salt.
All in all, I liked this cookbook. I liked the format and I especially liked the recipes.
Just for a little background, I'm a big time food gawker. I've gotten moon-y eyed over lemongrass panna cotta, earl gray sables and mocha zabaglione. But there is something to be said for a simple, well made dessert using quality ingredients.
The picture on the cover, says it all, a yellow cake with chocolate frosting sounds absolutely perfect and looks just as tasty.
But for the exotic, there are several new and interesting things;
Black Mission, Fig, Pear and Port Jam
Durango Cookies - (durango refers to smoked salt, I had to look this up and unfortunately the durango smoked salt is not interchangeable with the alder smoke salt I have in the cupboard)
Eton Mess - (a delightfully named dessert of British origin, obv because of the name referencing Eton College, it consists of meringues, strawberries, raspberries and freshly whipped cream).
Single Malt Scotch Truffles -
Pumpkin Seed Toffee
Berry Mendiants - Mendiants are a french confection (didn't know that), there is no picture in the book (kinda annoying) but from the description it's melted chocolate topped with various fruits and nuts. Ms. Gordon has included berry, mint and matcha versions.
At about the halfway point of the book, there is a handy color picture of all the different types of cakes and the different kinds of fillings and frostings, also there is a section with pie crusts and fillings the idea being that you can mix and match the recipes in an infinite number of possible cakes.
Among these are some new fillings for pies are a few I'd never seen before;
Basil Cream and Mango Curd
For the cake and toppings;
Cassis Ganache - Cassis is a kind of french liqueur made of black currants.
Matcha Ganache - this actually sounds pretty awful, but I'm not a big fan of matcha, but for those of you who are, I bet this would be great.
Rose Petal Passion Fruit Ganache - Doesn't this sound fancy but yummy?
Fun frostings like mascarpone to put on top hazelnut cakes.
There are some interesting discussions of ingredients, like the one for corn syrup and another for Durango salt.
All in all, I liked this cookbook. I liked the format and I especially liked the recipes.
February 21, 2017
Although this book was published in 2013, the author recently appeared on Food Network's The Kitchen and made the Chocolate Pots de Crème. Although Gordon was quick to say that she's not a trained chef, these recipes require a great deal of skill and top quality ingredients. The cakes, in particular, take a lot of time and effort. A sidebar titled "Helpful Hints for Cake Building" has six long steps. The author thoughtfully includes online resources for ingredients, equipment, décor, and packaging. I'll be content to just look at the gorgeous photographs in this cookbook.
August 15, 2013
Read my full review: http://bit.ly/14PDSrd or http://bit.ly/19EbMYz
My rating: A very, very rare 10 out of 5 Stars. It is very rare for a cookbook to earn this rating from me. I actually think this is the first one. This cookbook has accomplished this and beyond!
My opinion: OMG...how quickly can you say "In Amazon Cart"?!?! If this woman's stuff is sold up in Hollywood...you might actually get me to go there without me having an instant gag reflex!
I seriously didn't know I could love a cookbook so much. This book contained GORGEOUS PICTURES (that made me drool!) and would definitely take my dessert making up a notch.
On a technical note, the author gave excellent descriptions of necessary terms and equipment complete with pictures. One must note, however this cookbook is NOT for the novice baker. I would go middle-advanced or advanced baker. I, as an experienced baker, learned new techniques.
On a final note, I am purchasing the book for the confectionery and "mini"/individual dessert sections alone. That doesn't mean I won't be making the cake and pie recipes though.
My rating: A very, very rare 10 out of 5 Stars. It is very rare for a cookbook to earn this rating from me. I actually think this is the first one. This cookbook has accomplished this and beyond!
My opinion: OMG...how quickly can you say "In Amazon Cart"?!?! If this woman's stuff is sold up in Hollywood...you might actually get me to go there without me having an instant gag reflex!
I seriously didn't know I could love a cookbook so much. This book contained GORGEOUS PICTURES (that made me drool!) and would definitely take my dessert making up a notch.
On a technical note, the author gave excellent descriptions of necessary terms and equipment complete with pictures. One must note, however this cookbook is NOT for the novice baker. I would go middle-advanced or advanced baker. I, as an experienced baker, learned new techniques.
On a final note, I am purchasing the book for the confectionery and "mini"/individual dessert sections alone. That doesn't mean I won't be making the cake and pie recipes though.
October 10, 2013
This book is appropriately titled because it isn't just about baking. It is unlike any other book of this genre that I have seen. One cannot call it a dessert book because of the section on jellies and preserves. I reviewed the digital galley and every time I thought I was at the end of the book another gorgeous chapter appeared. The author's comments and directions are invaluable, for example, the tips for successfully building and cutting petit fours. The only weakness that I noted is in the candy section; there needs to be more photos showing techniques.
August 6, 2013
For a sweet book, this thankfully never tipped over into sickly sweet. The photography is lush and bittersweet (just like I like my chocolate). She offers good recipes for the basics that you'd expect like chocolate cake (with chocolate buttercream) but also brighter jams and candies as well as fiddly rose petal petit fours making this useful for experienced and beginners alike. Her sidebars with tips are all informative and useful (for instance, she reminds you, clearly, that you need to keep your fruit in mind for the jams).
October 9, 2013
The first 200+ pages were full of good, but ,intimidating, recipes. The latter part of the book, however, was much more to my liking. I copied down most of the cookie recipes and several of the jams .Valerie has presented a beautiful cookbook that anyone would enjoy looking through.
I was given an e-version of this cookbook to preview in exchange for an honest review.
I was given an e-version of this cookbook to preview in exchange for an honest review.
May 25, 2014
Easy to follow, delicious recipes with a taste unlike any other. Best of all, each one of the recipes can be customized into an original dessert. I most appreciated the illustrations which showed in detail every cake, filling, and frosting in what they should look like and the consistency each should be like.
August 14, 2013
I've given this book only one star because I do not understand how anyone can rate a book that is not even out yet - this is a book I'd like to read - and I probably will like it (and give it an appropriate rating) but I just have an issue when a book is not yet out and has all these great ratings
Read
December 30, 2013Made the golden butter cake with berries and mascarpone frosting. Tasty, not too difficult. Lots of ingenious-sounding jams at the back of the book. Not sure if it's worth buying, but it's definitely worth borrowing.
December 5, 2013
Lovely photos and layout&design. Equal number of appealing and "stretch" recipes.
Read
January 6, 2014Try peach Melba jam next year
Haven't tried anything yet
Haven't tried anything yet
February 13, 2014
Requires a lot of ingredients that are a little difficult to find (toasted hazelnut flour, currant jam) but there are some simpler recipes in here too.
March 18, 2014
i am going to buy this almost everything in this if not everything looked so good that i would make it and most certainly eat it . yummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm what else can i say
May 2, 2014
A beautiful baking book.
September 9, 2015
Everything about this book is beautiful! The pictures...the narrative... The recipes! I'll be making a number of these recipes soon!
December 23, 2015
Too fancy for me.
April 5, 2017
Every recipe has an exotic ingreideient that must be special=ordered. Too much for me to try!
January 16, 2014
gorgeous photography
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews